How Fair the Lily that Falls
by Beccari Smyth
Summary: Lily Evans's life began as any normal little girl's. Then something strange happened, and all of a sudden she was thrust head first into the magical world, leaving her old life- and her older sister- behind in her eagerness. A story detailing Lily's life from beginning to end; her happiness, sadness, romances and friendships explored from her own point of view.
1. Chapter 1

Snow was gently falling around the hospital. Inside, there were cries of anguish and pain- but in another part of the hospital, there were screams which turned into coos as newborn babies were pushed into the world, as their parents cried with joy that their little ones had arrived- or with pain that they hadn't made it into the world alive. There are two sides to childbirth- the good side, where the baby is healthy and happy, and the dark side, which doesn't bear thinking about for anyone.

However, on this cold, snowy January day, a new little girl was born to a family known as the Evans'. She was a pale little thing, her blue eyes blinking in the suddenly bright light of the maternity ward, little tufts of red hair covering her head. She was beautiful. Her parents named her Lily. Upon introducing her to her older sister Petunia, the older girl was instantly smitten with her baby sister. When her parents bought Lily home, Petunia would watch with her big, dark eyes at all the goings on, despite being only a year old herself.

As Lily grew, she developed a bright, bubbly personality. She followed her older sister everywhere, listening to the ramblings of the toddler, playing whatever games Petunia wanted. Their parents were not concerned about the relationship between the sisters- why would they be? Sibling rivalry was one of the things they had feared about having another baby. They seemed to have passed over this rivalry- the sisters adored each other. They shared a room for a while, and whenever Lily had nightmares Petunia would let her crawl into her bed, where they cuddled together to keep the demons of the night out. With Petunia at her side, Lily felt safe.

It wasn't until Lily turned 6 years old that their relationship changed. They were playing together in their bedroom, a game with dolls, when one of the doll's skirts ripped. Lily was the culprit- she had been messing around with the doll, which was Petunia's, and had accidentally ripped the skirt. Petunia, despite being 7 years old, began to cry- it was her favourite doll, a beautiful, delicate doll with a porcelain face and eyes that blinked when you turned it upwards. Lily began to cry as well- she hated upsetting Petunia.

"Tuney, I'm sorry," she cried. "I can fix it."

And she did. Petunia watched as Lily placed the two bits of ripped fabric together, saw the concentration on her little sister's face, and then she saw the two bits of fabric become one again, as though there was nothing wrong with it in the first place. She stared at the doll's skirt, and then at her sister, who was now holding the doll to Petunia, her eyelashes glistening with tears, a hopeful look on her little face. Lily did not see that she had done anything wrong- she had done this kind of thing before, although never in front of Petunia, who was now looking at her with awe on her face.

"How did you do that?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

Lily shrugged.

"I've always been able to do it," she replied, handing the doll back to Petunia, who took it warily.

"I think we should tell Mummy," said Petunia, holding the doll at arm's length.

"Why do we need to tell Mummy?" asked Lily, who had not thought to tell her mother- she had assumed that everyone could do what she could.

"Because it's strange," replied Petunia simply, and she got up and walked downstairs, the doll in her hand and Lily trailing along worriedly behind her.

Their mother was in the kitchen. She was making a cake- chocolate, Petunia and Lily's favourite. They both breathed in deeply as they entered the kitchen, savouring the smell and for a moment forgetting what they were there to tell their mother about. Then Petunia breathed out, and remembered why she was in the kitchen with her doll in the first place.

"Mummy," she began, and their mother turned around.

She was quite a beautiful woman- Lily took after her, whilst Petunia took after their father.

"Hello, my lovely girls," she smiled, wiping her hands on her apron and kissing both girls on the cheek. "Is anything wrong?"

"Mummy, Lily ripped my doll's skirt," Petunia began again, but before she could say another word, their mother was talking again.

"Lily Evans! That was very, very naughty of you! Here, give me your doll, Petunia, I'll mend her skirt for you," and she held out her hand to receive the doll.

Petunia handed her the doll silently, and watched as their mother checked it all over for damage.

"Petunia, there is nothing here," she said eventually, looking confused and exasperated. "Why are you telling fibs on your sister?"

"I'm not, Mummy!" protested Petunia, looking scandalised. "She _did_ rip the skirt, but she fixed it again!"

"Petunia. You know how naughty it is to tell fibs. There is no sign of this skirt ever being ripped in the first place, and Lily does not even know how to sew."

"But Mummy, she _did!"_ wailed Petunia.

"_Petunia!"_

"Mummy, I did," said Lily quietly, peering out from behind Petunia, looking nervous.

"Lily, you must not feel that you have to go along with this little story. Petunia I want you to apologise to your sister-"

"Mummy, I really did rip it, but I fixed it again, really!" said Lily, looking upset.

"Lily," sighed their mother, and she knelt down so she was at eye level with her two daughters. "How could you possible fix it without sewing it?"

"I don't know," said Lily quietly after some consideration. "But I did."

"She really did, Mummy, watch!" said Petunia, snatching the doll back and deliberately ripping the skirt.

"Petunia!" said their mother, shocked by her eldest daughter's behaviour.

"Here, Lily, fix it!" said Petunia, thrusting the doll at Lily, who caught it before it fell to the floor.

Lily's face screwed up in concentration. Her nose wrinkled with the effort, and she began to turn red- but the skirt remained ripped. Their mother raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Petunia. You have deliberately ruined your doll just to make a point. Are you satisfied?"

"She did it earlier," said Petunia stubbornly.

"I hardly think so. Both of you run along now and play- I have baking to do."

She dismissed the girls with a wave of her hand, then turned her back on them and continued what she had been previously doing, humming to herself as she did so. She did not consider the possibility that Petunia was right about Lily, and that something extraordinary had happened- why would she even consider the prospects of having a witch for a daughter? Magic didn't exist- witches and wizards were pretend, children's play. She could have had no clue, not at this stage, just what her youngest daughter actually was. And so she continued with her cake baking, icing delicate swirls onto the soft, chocolaty sponge, before making a cup of tea for her husband, who was in the garden planting vegetables for the new season.

Meanwhile, Petunia and Lily returned to their room, where Petunia rounded on Lily.

"Why didn't you show Mummy?" she snapped, furious at having been shown up.

"I tried, Tuney, really!" said Lily, her big, green eyes filling with tears.

"You didn't! You did it on purpose!" shouted Petunia, and she grabbed her doll back off Lily and threw it with all her might at the wall, which it hit hard. A loud crack sounded as the porcelain cracked, and then the doll fell to the floor, where it lay motionless in a heap.

"Tuney, I'm sorry!" said Lily, who was crying openly now.

"It's your fault Mummy thinks I'm a liar!" accused Petunia. "You better show her what you did, or I won't speak to you ever again."

Petunia stalked out of the room, leaving Lily alone. Lily was sobbing now, sitting on the floor as undignified as the broken doll. She really had tried to show her mum what she could do, but she just hadn't been able to. She glared at the doll, as if it was all her fault, and then jumped up. She grabbed the doll, and ran downstairs to find her mother, and try again to show her what she could do.

She found her parents in the garden, drinking tea, whilst Petunia sat with her legs crossed on the grass enjoying a slice of newly baked chocolate cake. When Petunia saw Lily running across the lawn with the broken doll, she sniffed contemptuously and turned her back on her, continuing to eat her cake in a delicate manner so that she didn't get chocolate smears down her lilac, flower print dress.

"Lily, darling-" her father stopped short.

Tears were still glistening on his youngest daughter's long eyelashes, and she was clutching a broken doll to her chest as though she could never bear to let it go.

"Lily, what's wrong?" he asked, setting his cup of tea aside and opening his arms, inviting her in for a hug, which she accepted quickly.

"Tuney's mad at me, Daddy," she said in a small, quivering voice.

"Petunia, what have you done to upset your little sister?" demanded their father, looking sternly at Petunia, who quickly swallowed the mouthful she had.

"Lily made Mummy think I was lying, but I wasn't lying, Daddy," she said, chin up in the air.

"Petunia," sighed their mother. "You were telling fibs."

"Was _not,_" mumbled Petunia.

"Don't mumble, Petunia, it is not lady like," scolded their mother.

"Daddy, Lily ripped my doll's skirt, but then she fixed it-"

"Well, if she fixed it then why are you angry at her?"

"Because she fixed it without doing or saying anything, and when I tried to make her show Mummy how she did it, she wouldn't!"

"That's enough, Petunia!" snapped their mother, her colour rising. "I have told you already, do not tell fibs! It is most unbecoming in any young child, particularly a girl!"

"It is not a fib!" cried Petunia.

"Petunia Evans! How dare you speak to your mother that way! You go to your room this instant, young lady, and think about what you have done. I am very, _very_ disappointed in you."

Petunia's eyes filled with angry tears, but she threw her plate from her and scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could before walking back into the house in as dignified a manner as she could. Lily had begun to cry again.

"Lily, sweetheart, you mustn't let on so, your sister isn't really mad at you," said their father comfortingly.

"Yes she is, Daddy," sobbed Lily. "She was telling the truth, but I couldn't make it work again."

"Couldn't make what work again, sweetheart?"

"I did fix the skirt, I did, really, but I couldn't do it again, and Tuney got mad at me and threw it at the wall and now it's really broken!"

"She threw her doll at the wall? I can't _believe_ it! That cost me a small fortune, it's porcelain!"

Lily held the doll out so their father could examine it, still crying as she observed the angry look on his face- she hadn't meant to get Petunia into even more trouble.

"I… I can fix it, Daddy," she said, taking the doll back when he cast it down in frustration.

"Lily, you must not act along with Petunia's fibs, it's very naughty," said their mother, glancing at the doll with a disapproving look on her face.

"But I really can, Mummy, watch!"

Lily once again concentrated hard on the doll, her face scrunched up. Nothing happened. Her parents exchanged worried looks, but decided to humour her a little longer. Lily thought hard about the doll being fixed, but when she opened her eyes to look at it again, nothing had happened. A long, ugly crack still split the doll's head in two, smaller cracks stemming off from it in all directions. One of the blue glass eyes was broken as well, the eyelid half closed on that eye, making the doll look quite scary, but Lily still gazed at it in despair.

She thought about how much this meant to Petunia, that she prove to her parents that she hadn't been lying, and how much the doll meant to her- Petunia adored the doll. She carried it around everywhere with her, cooing at it and brushing its ringlets out of its face. She had slept with it for a while as well, until their mother had told her that she should stop in case she damaged it. Petunia had named it Rose, as its dress was a pretty pink colour that she had once seen in a flower shop on a rose. Lily thought so hard about how much her sister loved that doll- and the cracks sealed themselves. The eye became whole again, the eyelid reopened and the skirt appeared as though new. Lily stared in joy and amazement, because she'd done it- she'd fixed Rose and could prove to her parents that Petunia was telling the truth!

Proudly, she held the doll out to her parents. Her father took it, and examined it briefly, before giving a short yelp of astonishment and thrusting it at his wife, who gasped sharply. They stared at the doll, which was as good as new, and then at their youngest daughter, who was beaming, her eyelashes still wet and her cheeks still flushed, but looking absolutely thrilled. Despite their fear at what this was, they rearranged their faces into unconvincing smiles, which were nevertheless convincing to the six year old.

"Well," said her father after a minute or two. "I think we owe Petunia an apology; well done, Lily, for fixing your sister's doll."

"Yes, sweetie, I'm sorry we didn't believe you and your sister," smiled her mother; Lily didn't notice the smallest trace of worry in their voices.

Grinning, Lily returned to her bedroom, where she told Petunia what had happened. Petunia had looked momentarily stunned, but then she grinned too, and gave her sister a hug, thanking her for telling the truth to their parents.

The next day, before the girls left for school, their parents sat them both down in the living room.

"Petunia, Lily," began their mother, looking worried. "Whilst we realise that what you can do, Lily, is very impressive, we do not think you should show other people what you can do."

"Why not, Mummy?" asked Lily, whilst Petunia looked confused.

"We think that if other people knew, they might be scared," explained their father.

"But why?"

"Because… not many people can do it," said their mother.

"Actually, no one else at all can do it, Lily," said their father, and Lily suddenly looked worried.

"Am I different?" she asked; she had never wanted to be different, she liked to fit in.

"It isn't a bad thing, Lily," reassured their mother. "We just don't think other people would understand just how special you are."

"I'm special too," said Petunia, sounding hurt.

"Of course you are, Petunia, darling," smiled their father reassuringly. "You're both the most special little girls in the whole wide world. But you must promise your mother and I now that you will not, under any circumstances, tell anyone what you can do, Lily. You must not show them, and you, Petunia, shouldn't say anything either. We should just keep it a little family secret for now- like a game."

The girl's faces cleared.

"I like games," smiled Lily.

"I know you do," smiled their father. "So, this game is a secrets game, and you have to keep the secret, ok girls?"

"Yes, Daddy," they chorused.

"That's my girls," he smiled, kissing them both of the tops of their heads before kissing his wife on the cheek and heading off to work.

"Come on then, girls, let's get you to school- and don't forget about our lovely game!" said their mother, holding a hand each of her daughters and leading them off to school, where she kissed them both goodbye and promised to pick them up at 3pm.

Heading back home, Mrs Evans worried about her youngest daughter. She had never heard of anything like what Lily could do, and didn't know of any way she could find out without one or more of the family being admitted to a mental hospital. She thought she could trust Petunia and Lily not to tell anyone though- she knew they loved playing games, and kept to the rules religiously. She vowed to put the incident the previous day out of her mind, and headed off to work herself, keeping herself busy until she had to pick up the girls so as to keep her mind occupied.


	2. Chapter 2

Petunia and Lily played the secret game for the next few years. They did not speak a word of Lily's strange talents outside of the house and learnt not to talk about it too much in front of their parents either, who went white whenever Lily did something strange in front of them. On their own however, Lily would frequently use her gift, once she had learnt how to properly control it. She couldn't do large things, as they had discovered when Petunia had demanded that Lily make her fly around the room, but she was perfectly capable of managing small tasks. As they grew older, Lily noticed how Petunia would look resentful whenever Lily used her mysterious skill, and so Lily took to using it even less, until in the end it was only when she was very hyperactive that the strange skill would burst out of her.

It happened one day when the two girls were at the park. Their father was in bed with a migraine, and so their mother had sent them down to the park, which was only a 10 minute walk from their home, so that he could have some peace and quiet whilst he recovered. They had played all over the park that afternoon, and were now perched on the swings, talking happily and laughing together. They were completely alone in the park- it was a hot day, and most people had stayed indoors in the shade, where drinks were readily available.

Lily suddenly glanced around, looking mischievous. She saw that no one was in the park, and began to swing her legs and tilt her body until the swing was rocking back and forth. She swung quickly, higher- she was going too high for any normal child.

"Lily, stop it!" cried Petunia, watching her sister with growing apprehension.

Lily did not stop it. She continued to swing, going faster and higher, until she was nearly going in a full circle around the top of the swing set.

"Lily! No!" shouted Petunia suddenly, as it became obvious what Lily was going to do.

Once again, Lily ignored her sister, and let go of the swing, gliding smoothly into the air, arms outstretched like a little bird. Petunia watched, pale and scared, and yet amazed at the same time. She watched with growing envy as Lily landed lightly on the ground, a broad smile on her little face, her red hair tangled from the breeze she had felt whilst on the swing. Petunia jumped off of her swing and ran towards her little sister, feeling angry.

"Mummy said you mustn't!" she said, scolding Lily angrily.

Lily wasn't listening. She had bent over and picked up a flower from the floor. Holding it in her hand, she beckoned Petunia to come closer. When Petunia refused, Lily rolled her eyes.

"Come and look at this, Tuney," she said, holding her hand out for her sister to look at.

Apprehensively, Petunia looking down at Lily's hand, where a flower was opening and closing its petals quickly, over and over again.

"Stop it!" squealed Petunia, not liking how the thing looked. "It's not right!"

"It's not hurting you," said Lily, but she threw the flower down even so.

They were silent for a minute, and then Petunia spoke.

"How do you do it?" she asked, unable to keep the longing out of her voice.

"Isn't it obvious?" came a voice from behind them, and both girls shrieked loudly.

They had believed themselves to be alone in the park. However, a young boy, around the same age as them, had suddenly appeared, and was standing next to the bush from which the flower that had upset Petunia had fallen. Petunia had run back to the swing set, and was standing behind one of the bars as though it was hiding her from the boy, but Lily had stayed standing where she was. She was not as easily frightened as Petunia, although the sudden appearance and look of the boy before her unnerved her somewhat.

He was a strange, skinny looking boy, with slightly hunched shoulders and hair which hung lankly around a pale, sallow face. However, he had bright, dark eyes, which had a sparkle in them that Lily liked. He was wearing an odd looking outfit, with his clothes either oversized or too small for him. Lily raised her eyebrow without even realising as she looked at his clothes. He was standing sheepishly, as though he regretted his sudden outburst.

"What's obvious?" asked Lily, not understanding what he had meant.

"I know what you are," he whispered urgently.

"What do you mean?"

"You're… you're a witch!" said the boy, eyes sparkling in excitement.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" said Lily, offended.

Turning on her heel, she flounced over to Petunia, and joined her on the other side of the bar, away from the boy.

"No!" he cried, running after them. His strange looking coat flapped behind him, giving the impression of wings. "You are! You are a witch! I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one too! And I'm a wizard!"

Petunia laughed now. She was looking at the boy scornfully, and the laugh that escaped her was one of deepest contempt.

"Wizard! I know who you are," she said sneeringly. "You're that Snape boy. They live down Spinner's End by the river," she said to Lily.

Petunia did not think much of Spinner's End. She had seen it a couple of times, but they never normally went there- it was dirty and run down, not like their pretty, clean street. Petunia considered anyone who lived there to be dirty and run down too- and this little boy in front of her was further proving her theory.

"Why have you been spying on us?" asked Petunia, looking at the Snape boy with distaste and mistrust.

"Haven't been spying," he mumbled, going red. "Wouldn't spy on you anyway. You're a Muggle."

Petunia had no idea what the word meant, but she could not mistake the obvious contempt in the boy's voice, and so she realised quickly that he had said it as an insult. She glared at him furiously through narrowed eyes.

"Lily! Come on, we're leaving!" she cried, and quickly she turned on her heel and walked with what dignity that remained out of the park.

Lily followed close behind, glaring at Snape as she left. She had no desire to continue talking to the boy, especially not when he had upset her sister. She didn't say a word about Snape to Petunia on the way home, but Petunia had a lot to say about Snape.

"How dare he!" she cried shrilly the second they had left the park. "Did you hear what he said to me? Muggle! What even _is_ a Muggle? Well, I am not stupid, I know he was being very, very rude, and what does Mummy say about being rude, Lily?"

"If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all," replied Lily obediently. Petunia frequently quizzed Lily on the lessons their mother had taught them in manners.

"Exactly," said Petunia, nodding at her sister in approval. "And what did he mean, a witch? There's no such thing as witches, is there, Lily?"

"No," replied Lily.

"Correct," said Petunia, giving her sister a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "I cannot believe how dirty he was either- did you see his clothes? And his hair! Why does he have it so long if he doesn't bother to keep it clean? It's disgusting, isn't it, Lily?"

"Yes," replied Lily.

"Yes indeed!" said Petunia, smiling at Lily. "Never go down to Spinner's End, Lily! It's filthy, absolutely horrible. I do not know how somewhere like that could be so close to where we live, and yet be so horribly different. Promise me you'll never go to Spinner's End, Lily!"

"I promise, Tuney," said Lily.

They had arrived home now. Their mother was in the garden, reading the newspaper and sipping at a glass of ice-cold lemonade. She looked startled when the girls came round through the side entrance and into the back garden.

"Hello, girls," she said, smiling at them. "I didn't expect you home until later on."

"We came back early, Mummy," said Petunia, sniffing slightly in distaste as she recalled the incident in the park.

"Why, darling? What's wrong?"

"There was a horrible little boy in the park, Mummy," said Petunia. "He called Lily a witch, and me a Muggle!"

"Oh darling, I'm sure he was just being silly. There's no such thing as witches, and 'Muggle' is not a word. You should know better than to let yourself be bothered by such tomfoolery," said Mrs Evans, smiling warmly at her eldest daughter and giving her a hug.

"I am not bothered by it. I just did not want my little sister around such a dirty little boy," said Petunia primly.

"Dirty?" inquired their mother.

"Yes, Mummy. He had all this long, dirty hair, and clothes that didn't fit him, and he looked absolutely awful, didn't he, Lily?" Petunia didn't wait for Lily to respond, but carried on talking without a pause. "He's from Spinner's End, by the river."

"Oh, Spinner's End," said their mother, the smallest look of distaste on her own face now. Although she tried hard to keep her children from being prejudiced against others, she disliked everything about Spinner's End.

"Yes. He's that Snape boy."

"Oh! The Snape family!" she said, suddenly understanding.

She had seen the mother and her son walking through the village sometimes, and had always thought they looked strange. The son looked like her, both of them sallow and pale, with hooked noses and lank hair framing their surly looking faces. Neither of them looked particularly well groomed, and the boy looked very undernourished. Mrs Evans felt sorry for them when she saw them, but she didn't very well want her precious daughters playing with that little boy. They would probably come home with nits!

"Yes, I've heard of the Snape family," said Mrs Evans. "The boy is called something very strange- I think I heard his mother called him 'Sev' once. I think perhaps they are foreign."

"_Sev!_" said Petunia, snorting in scornful amusement at the ridiculous sounding name.

"Now, Petunia," said their mother, looking sternly at her. "What have I said about being rude?"

Lily went to speak up almost instantly- she was so used to Petunia drilling this moral into her that she answered without realising whenever someone asked that question- 'what do we say about being rude?' Their mother stopped her however, raising an eyebrow in warning. She knew that Lily was very aware of this rule, and wanted to make sure that Petunia was likewise aware.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," mumbled Petunia, going red.

"Very good, dear. Now, go and play for a while down at the end of the garden. Your father is still feeling very poorly, and I don't want you two disturbing him. Off you go then!" She motioned for the girls to be off down to the end of the garden, where they had made a den of sorts behind the apple tree.

Mrs Evans stayed sitting in her lounging garden chair, her skirt pulled up to her knees as she tanned her legs. She was thinking about what Petunia had said, about the boy calling Lily a witch. But that's ridiculous, she reasoned. There's no such thing as witches. And her Lily certainly wasn't one! Witches went around on broomsticks, with black cats and warty noses. You could see the little girls dressing up as witches every Halloween. Lily was a very fair, pretty little girl, and even if she did have a wart here or there, she was by no means a mythical, evil she-devil from the shadows. Certainly, there was something strange about her youngest daughter. Mrs Evans had accepted this fact. But Lily was just special. There was nothing wrong with her- and she certainly was not a witch!

Mrs Evans listened to the laughs coming from the end of the garden, glad that the girls had forgotten about the encounter with the little boy and were now enjoying one of their imaginary games in peace. Getting up and placing her glass of lemonade carefully on the garden table, Mrs Evans headed indoors to check on her husband, who was currently lying in their bed, the curtains drawn against the bright sun outside their window. She brought him up some more painkillers, but found he was fast asleep. Leaving them on the bedside table for him, she returned downstairs, looking absentmindedly out of the living room window as she did so. What she saw made her jump.

The little boy from the park, 'Sev', was mooching slowly past the house, gazing up at it with miserable looking eyes. He didn't notice Mrs Evans as she stood behind her net curtains, watching him worriedly. The girls both gave a simultaneous shriek of laughter which Mrs Evans could hear from inside the house. Evidently, he could hear it too, because he suddenly started, looking in the direction of the girl's den hopefully. When they didn't appear, he hung his head, his dirty hair falling in his eyes, and he carried on along his way.

Mrs Evans wondered why he was walking this way to go back to Spinner's End. It was by no means on the way to the run down street. It would have been much easier for him to go back through the village; he would have arrived home sooner. She looked after him pityingly. He looked so miserable, and as he walked there was a definite slump in his shoulders. Mrs Evans always told her daughters to stand up straight and pay attention to their surroundings. She had a feeling that Mrs Snape had never taught her bedraggled, dirty little son the same thing.

Returning to the garden, Mrs Evans tried to put him out of her mind. She focused instead on the newspaper, reading intently about the economy, and finding a new recipe in the back. She decided she would try to make it for her family at some point over the next week. Her daughters suddenly came tearing out of their den, chasing each other, their eyes bright and cheeks flushed. Mrs Evans smiled. She knew that Petunia was very much the one in charge out of her daughters, but she hoped that her girls would always have such a good relationship as they did that day when she watched them playing in the garden.


	3. Chapter 3

Petunia lay in her bed feeling hot and clammy. Her stomach was turning over, and she had a horrible feeling that she was about to be sick.

It was Sunday, and the family were spending the day relaxing in the last few rays of sun before Petunia and Lily returned from the summer holidays to school the next day. Petunia, however, had not risen from her bed that day. She had been tossing and turning and feeling generally awful from the moment she had woken up. Lily, knowing better than to pester her sister whilst she wasn't feeling very well, had stayed in the back garden on her own, looking up every now and then in the direction of their bedroom, but keeping to herself. She was feeling quite bored though.

Seeing his youngest daughter's boredom, Mr Evans decided that, just this once, and seeing as she was 9 years old now, he would let her go to the park on her own to play with the other children. It was a lovely day after all, and so there were bound to be children at the park, and besides, it was only just round the corner from their house. What could possibly happen? Lily was a sensible little girl. Mr Evans suggested this quietly to his wife, who agreed with him on one condition- Lily was to be home by 6pm at the latest, and if there were no children on the park who she knew then she was to come straight home.

Lily did not feel much like going to the park without her sister, but she did as she was told, and, dragging her feet slightly, began the short walk to the park. She scuffed her battered old summer sandals as she slouched along, not bothering to walk with her back straight, as she had always been told by Petunia. She felt lost without her sister, as though half of her was missing, and she hoped that Petunia would feel much better soon so that they could resume their normal relationship.

Upon reaching the park, Lily saw that there were only a few children playing, and she didn't know any of them. Nevertheless, she decided to ignore what her parents had told her, and headed off to the swing set, which was abandoned. The other children were favouring the sand pit- they seemed to be a bit younger than her, and had their parents with them, watching over them carefully. They paid no attention to the little red headed girl who was sitting on the swings, rocking back and forth in a half-hearted manner. Nobody noticed the little black haired boy tiptoeing his way across the park towards her.

"Hello," mumbled the boy once he was close enough for Lily to hear him.

Lily started, jumping off of the swing and glancing this way and that until she caught sight of him standing not far off and partially concealed by the same bush he had jumped out of on their first encounter at the beginning of the summer holidays. She hadn't seen him since, and was shocked to see he had become even more distasteful. His hair was longer than it had been a few weeks ago, and he had grown a little bit, giving him a gangly look. However, his eyes had the same sparkle that Lily had liked on their first meeting, and he looked both nervous and eager. Lily decided that, because Petunia was not there and because what she didn't know couldn't hurt her, to take pity on the boy.

"Hello," she replied, watching him slightly warily.

"Can I play on the swings with you?" he asked, sounding dejected already, although she hadn't actually said anything yet.

"Oh," she said, and glanced around as though checking to see if Petunia had in fact crept after her and was watching her now. Seeing no one around but the parents and small children, who were quite a distance off, she nodded, giving him an unsure smile. He didn't smile back, but his eyes seemed to glitter, and he jumped onto one of the swings uncertainly.

"Don't you know how to do it?" asked Lily when she observed him merely sitting still on the swing.

"I've never been on the swings before," he replied quietly, looking at the indents in the dirt beneath his feet, which hovered slightly above the ground.

"Well, let me show you," said Lily kindly, and she climbed onto the swing beside him. "Are you watching?"

"Yes," he replied, and she glanced sideways to see that he was indeed watching her very carefully, the eager look on his face again.

"Right, you do it like this," she said, and she began to swing her legs and arch her body until the swing gained momentum and she was rocking backwards and forwards quite quickly, her red hair streaming out behind her.

The boy watched her with a look of complete delight on his pale, thin face, his eyes never leaving her as she swung backwards and forwards. She stopped suddenly by dragging her heels in the dirt, and, swinging her hair back out of her face, she looked towards him expectantly, grinning.

Realising it was his turn, he tried to copy what she had done, but couldn't gain the same momentum. Lily watched him struggle for a couple of minutes, and then jumped down off of her swing and moved behind him.

"Here, I'll help you get started, it's easier then," she said, and she placed her hands on his back. "Hold on tight, ok?" His knuckles whitened on the swing chains in response, and she gave him a push, catching him each time he came back and pushing him off again until he had gained a good height. "There you go!" she laughed. "Just do what I did now, you'll be fine!"

He copied her movements exactly, and soon was swinging just as she had been. He swung higher and higher, and Lily watched in amazement as he almost went in a full circle over the top of the swing set. He carried on swinging and then, before she could be sure he was going to do it, he let go, and sailed gracefully to the ground, landing without a sound. He was standing upright still, just as she had been when she'd first met him in the park those few weeks ago. He turned to face her, his pale face tinged with pink from the excitement he had felt, his eyes wide and a small smile playing on his lips. Lily looked at him, stunned.

"How did you do that?" she asked curiously.

"I told you, ages ago. I'm a wizard," he replied, shrugging his shoulders as if this was no big deal.

"How can you be? They don't exist, my mummy told me," retorted Lily, although she sounded unsure.

"Yes, they do. I'm a wizard, and my mummy's a witch. You're a witch too, but there's nothing wrong with being one," he said quickly, looking nervous again- he didn't want her to get upset like she had done last time.

"I don't believe you," stated Lily, sounding incredibly like Petunia.

"Well, I'm telling you the truth," he said, sticking his chin in the air in defiance.

"Prove it then," challenged Lily.

He looked around him, trying to see a way he could prove he was telling the truth, and found a leaf which had fallen from a tree. It was a helicopter leaf, and he realised he could prove it to her with that. Picking it up, he held it out to her, and she looked at it curiously. As she watched, he flexed his forearm slightly, and the leaf suddenly jumped from his palm and flew towards her, circling her several times before returning back to his hand. She laughed delightedly.

"How does that work?" she asked, smiling.

"Here, I'll show you if you like," he said shyly.

"Go on then," grinned Lily, moving towards him.

The two children sat together in comfortable companionship, whilst the young boy taught Lily how to make the helicopter leaves fly as though they were real helicopters, rather than simple falling in spirals to the ground. Lily soon got the hang of it, and showed him how she could make the flowers open and close their petals. He smiled at her encouragingly whenever she displayed any signs of what he was calling "magic".

"How can it be magic though?" asked Lily eventually, casting aside the flowers and leaves, a worried look on her face. "Magic doesn't exist."

"It does," he replied. "Muggles don't see it though, because wizards and witches have to keep it away from them."

"Muggles?" she asked curiously.

"It means people who aren't magical," he explained. "Like those adults over there- they're Muggles."

"Are my parents Muggles? And my sister?" she asked.

"Well, yes," he said, and when she looked worried again, he continued quickly. "But it doesn't matter, being a Muggle or being magical. Everyone's still the same, we just do different things."

"So it doesn't matter, being a Muggle?"

"Of course not," said the boy, although he looked unsure. Lily didn't notice this however.

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly. "My mummy said she thought it was Sev, but that can't be right, can it?"

"No, that's right," he said.

"Sev? That's your full name?" she asked, never having come across such a peculiar name before.

"It's Severus, actually. Severus Snape," he said, looking at the ground again.

"Severus…" said Lily, pondering the unfamiliar name. Severus went pink, an continued to look at anything except for her. Finally, Lily smiled. "I like it," she said. "It's… distinct." This was a word she had heard her parents using, and was one she was particularly fond of, as she felt it made her sound grown up.

"You think?" said Severus, glancing up at her.

"Yes," she smiled. "I'm Lily Evans, by the way."

"Oh, yes, I know," he said quickly, and then he blushed again. "I mean, I heard your sister calling you Lily."

"My sister's called Petunia. She's older than me, but only by a little bit. Do you have any sisters, Severus?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head so that his dirty hair fell into his face. He brushed it off quickly before continuing. "I don't have any brothers either. It's just me, my mum and my dad at home."

"What are your parents like?" asked Lily, not realising she was being nosy.

Severus shrugged.

"My mum's alright. She reads to me at night, wizard stories, you know- The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, and Babbitty Rabbitty. I like the one with the warlock in it, it's called The Warlock's Hairy Heart."

"What strange sounding stories. They're Wizarding ones though, are they?"

"Yes, haven't you ever heard of them?" Severus sounded amazed.

"Well, no. We've been told- what did you say non-magical people were called again?"

"Muggles."

"Yes, right, we've been told Muggle stories, like Cinderella and Snow White. I love Cinderella," said Lily, smiling fondly.

"I've never heard of them," said Severus.

"Severus? You only said that your mum was magic. What about your dad?"

"Oh, he's a Muggle."

"But then why haven't you heard my fairy stories? Surely, if he's a Muggle, he would know them?"

"He probably does, but he doesn't read stories to me," said Severus quietly.

"Why not? My daddy reads stories to me and Tuney all the time," said Lily.

"My dad doesn't seem to like me very much," said Severus, his voice little more than a whisper. "He goes out a lot at night, and comes home smelling bad. Then he gets angry and… and he…"

Severus stopped talking and instead picked up a leaf from the floor and began to shred it.

"It's ok, Severus. I'm sorry for being so nosy," said Lily, feeling terrible.

"No, it's ok," he said, and he suddenly gave a mischievous grin, and threw the shredded bits of leaf into the air so that they fell on and around the two of them like confetti.

Lily gave a shriek, and then subsided into giggles, whilst Severus watched her with a hungry look on his face, something which she failed to see completely. His eyes sparkled with excitement and he was smiling so much that it hurt his face- he was unused to having such a perfect afternoon.

Severus walked Lily back that afternoon, but she only let him walk to the end of her street with her- she was worried Petunia would see, and knew she would be very angry with her if she did.

"It was lovely spending time with you this afternoon, Severus," smiled Lily. "I'm glad we're friends."

"Are we really friends?" asked Severus, sounding amazed.

"Well, of course we are," she smiled. "We're both magical, aren't we? Hey, will you teach me more about magic? Next weekend?"

"Why not tomorrow?" he asked, wanting to see her again sooner. He felt happy around her, a feeling he never got at home.

"I have to go back to school tomorrow," said Lily, pulling a comical face to show her distaste. "Next weekend is the only time I have free to go to the park with you."

"Oh. Well, next weekend then," smiled Severus.

"Yes," smiled Lily in return. "Goodbye Severus. Thank you for a lovely afternoon."

She gave him a jaunty wave and then ran off down her perfectly pretty and neat street, her floral print dress billowing around her whilst her tumbling red hair flew out behind. Severus watched her, thinking that he had never seen anyone so wonderful in his entire life. He wanted to spend every day with her- she made him feel so happy, so contented. He comforted himself that he would definitely be seeing her the next weekend, and the thought gave him the strength to return to his own home in Spinner's End.

Walking along with a new skip in his step, he hardly noticed the run down and dilapidated houses on either side of him as he entered his own street. He didn't seem to hear the cries of the screaming baby in one house, nor the screamed arguments in another. He turned into his own front garden- over run by weeds and with empty liquor bottles in the over grown grass, some of which were smashed so that broken glass was hiding in the jungle of mess. He pushed against the door, which gave way easily- his father, in a rage, had kicked the door so hard that the hinges had broken.

Inside, he found his mother curled up on one of the moth eaten old chairs, which was stained and dirty. She seemed to have been crying, and he guessed immediately that she and his father had been fighting again. He moved towards her uncertainly, and winced as he saw the fresh bruise blooming above her eyebrow, in the center of which was a fresh cut which had obviously been bleeding, although it seemed to have stopped now. His father had been drinking again, and had raised his fists to her- that much was obvious.

All thoughts of his wonderful afternoon with Lily Evans were thrown from his mind as he beheld his mother sitting there, broken and bleeding. He felt a surge of hatred and fear towards his father, although the man was nowhere to be heard within the house. Before tending to his mother, Severus had time to think momentarily on how different his and Lily's lives were. It brought tears to his eyes, which were now dull, but he rubbed them furiously with the backs of his hands, and instead focused on mopping up the blood from his mother's face. Eileen Snape sat quietly in the chair, not seeming to notice her young son doing his best to make her feel better.

**A/N: I apologise for not updating in a while, I've been incredibly busy with coursework. I hope you like this chapter though, and please let me know what you think **

**Love, Beccari x**


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